How to make a good movie? Instead of just talking about it, let’s make a good movie!
A good movie requires a solid and credible script, a talented director, and excellent actors. More importantly, it needs a crew with strong execution capabilities and excellent work capabilities.
It requires photography, lighting, props, scenery, costumes, makeup, drama management, and scene management. Depending on the type of film, action guidance, pyrotechnics special effects, dubbing, stand-ins, etc. are needed.
In the past, the Chinese film crew that completed the creation of a movie only had a few dozen people in the above positions, and only about a hundred people were involved in the later stage.
A little more, only two to three hundred people.
But when Zhang Hao was directing "Batman Begins," he joined the post-production team, and more than 2,000 people participated in the project behind the scenes.
How to effectively manage more than two thousand people, maintain quality and quantity, cooperate well without making mistakes, and complete the work will test the crew leader's scheduling ability.
On the crew of "Batman Begins", there is Charles Rowan, an experienced Hollywood gold medal producer, who helps Zhang Hao.
But in "Gravity", which is currently being prepared, Zhang Hao cannot be helped, and he needs to make decisions on his own.
Producer Liu Hao, who has worked with Zhang Hao for a long time, looked at the fully scheduled production schedule, which contained detailed work procedures. Zhang Hao even gave the process for such a small matter as eating.
"Good guy, it's a good thing you came up with a process plan, otherwise our production team's head would have grown twice as big just to feed a thousand people." Liu Hao wiped his sweat and said to Zhang Hao.
"This is all forced. Take your time. It's the first time for everyone to make such a large-scale science fiction film project, so they will be nervous." Zhang Hao said.
"With your reassurance, everyone is very motivated. Under your leadership, we will definitely complete this groundbreaking film." Liu Hao said.
The outside world has doubts about Zhang Hao's choice, and there are also mixed voices of support. However, Zhang Hao's core team has absolute trust in Zhang Hao.
This kind of trust is not without reason, but the authority that Zhang Hao has accumulated through repeated successes.
Especially the team members who followed Zhang Hao to Hollywood, they highly praised Zhang Hao.
No, under the guidance of experts from the space agency, the physical effects team from Tiangong Yicai Studio joined the crew and worked with the props team to create the spacesuit.
As the head of the physical effects team, the young Qiao Xin leads the entire physical effects team and props team to create various props.
At this time, she was reviewing the sketches while bragging to the new technicians who joined the studio: "I'm telling you, our director, in the directing world, is like this."
Looking at the thumbs up, the technician expressed his objection: "The director is not bad, very good, but it is not that there are better directors than him, such as the national teacher."
Qiao Xin shook her head and said: "Forget it about the national teacher. If you give him the opportunity to direct a science fiction film, will he dare to take it?"
The technician thought for a while, shook his head and said, "I probably won't dare to answer it."
After "Gravity" entered the preparation stage, a theory spread in the circle.
After Zhang Hao obtained all the film adaptation rights of Da Liu's science fiction novels, out of its trust in Zhang Hao, China Film Corporation judged that Zhang Hao would start a trend of Chinese science fiction films.
Therefore, China Film took decisive action and obtained the copyrights of multiple novels from several other well-known science fiction writers.
Among them, Wang Jinkang's "Seven Shells" and Jiang Bo's "Machine Gate" are both rumored to be adapted into movies. It is even rumored that China Film Academy has hired Guo Shi and Chen Gezi to direct two movies respectively.
But both great directors refused. For these two great directors with outstanding reputations, taking on this kind of subject would be a loss of their own brands.
Zhang Hao had heard about this incident and knew what the two directors were thinking. Sometimes he couldn't help but think that even if he didn't take over in the future, the two directors would continue to damage their own brands.
So wouldn’t it be better to put aside the glory and achievements that we carried in the past and start over?
Of course, letting go is not easy.
After that, China Film looked for a circle of directors, including Zhang Hao's senior brother Ning Hao, and the new billionaire director Xu Daguangtou, but no one was willing to take over.
Zhang Hao is able to do it not only because of his own ability, but also because he dares to think and act, and is a movie lunatic. We are normal people. This type of project is not something that a Chinese director can handle, so you should hire someone else!
China Film had no choice but to find Zhang Hao. Instead of asking Zhang Hao to direct, they asked him to provide advice.
Zhang Hao's reply was only one sentence: "When I succeed with "Gravity", there will be more directors who dare to try it."
The China Film Group thought the same thing when they heard it. The main reason is that China Film Group is a public institution and some political tasks need to be completed by China Film Group.
After the news about Zhang Hao's preparation for "Gravity" was known to the superiors, the superiors gave China Film a task. As a national film company, it must actively participate in the investment and production of science fiction films.
But no one can take over now, so we have to wait for the right time.
Of course, the premise is that after "Gravity", there won't be a film similar to "Shanghai Fortress". After the previous life, "Shanghai Fortress" came, and the door was almost welded shut.
If it hadn't been for the sudden release of Breaking Bad 2, Chinese science fiction movies would have been short-lived.
Throughout July and August, "Gravity" was in the early stages of preparation. Da Mi Mi's task was very heavy, and she had to undergo training as an astronaut. Even if the standards were lowered, the daily training was still very hard.
The space agency directly recruited active astronauts Zhai Zhigang and Liu Yang to serve as consultants and technical directors to train with the power. Later, Andy reported in August that he would train with them.
During the training, Da Mi Mi told Zhang Hao that he could not find the feeling of weightlessness. For this reason, Zhang Hao specially applied to the space agency to use their internal training simulator of weightlessness.
This weightless simulator is set up in the water, using the buoyancy of the water and wearing special clothing to simulate weightlessness.
However, this was not enough. In order to find a more weightless feeling, Zhang Hao forcibly stuffed Da Mi Mi and Hua Tsai inside during astronaut training.
This training method is to take a special aircraft. When the aircraft flies to the highest point, it then descends in free fall. The objects in the cabin will appear weightless and the objects will float in the air.
When the plane approaches the ground, it restarts and the object returns to normal gravity. The plane's flight path is a bit like a roller coaster, with a steep slope.
When Ron Howard filmed "Apollo 13," he used this method to film it.
But for "Gravity", this shooting method consumes too much money. The space agency can sponsor actors to participate in weightless simulation training for free, but it is impossible to allow the crew to use their aircraft equipment to shoot the film's weightless scenes.
During the last training session, Da Mi Mi, who returned from the sky, hugged Zhang Hao's arm and said excitedly: "It's so fun to be weightless. It's like a roller coaster. It's so exciting."
Zhang Hao touched Da Mi Mi's short hair and said with a smile: "This is just a one-time experience. You have to remember this feeling when shooting in the future and shoot according to this feeling."
In order to meet the requirements of the role, Da Mi Mi cut her long hair short without Zhang Hao's reminder.
You know, this is her favorite long hair, and Zhang Hao also likes her long hair.
But now that the hair is short and powerful, it looks very energetic and heroic.
Da Mimi was a little disappointed for a moment: "Can't we shoot on the plane?"
"What are you thinking about? I also want to shoot in space and black holes, but that's impossible. People have already given so much help, and now we're on our own," Zhang Hao said.
It's fun, but I also know that it's unrealistic to borrow other people's equipment to shoot, so I can only say goodbye to this enjoyable weightlessness simulation training.
Tiredness is really tiring, but happiness is also really happy.
As preparations progress, the space agency's official Weibo also revealed many details, including aerospace expert engineers serving as consultants to the crew, and active astronauts training the actors, etc.
In addition, Tianmi Studio also exposed the construction of some scenes, including the internal structure of the space station and the 1:1 restored model of the satellite.
The exposure of these details made netizens call it director Zhang Hao's generosity.
Then a reporter from a gossip website revealed that he was squatting outside a converted studio in a hangar in Fengtian and found a concept draft in the trash.
There is Zhang Hao's signature on it, proving that this concept draft was written by Zhang Hao.
The content of the concept draft is that the spacecraft crashes into the atmosphere and turns into meteors, forming a beautiful meteor shower picture.
"Damn it, this composition looks so beautiful. Are you sure Director Zhang is not an art major?"
"The joke is, being a director already has an aesthetic foundation, so there's nothing strange about it. It just depends on whether the movie can reach the level in the concept draft."
"It's difficult, right? If we don't hire foreign special effects companies, we can't do the scenes in the concept pictures."
"I think this only accounts for a small part. Most of the scenes take place on earth."
"I think so. Having a space scene lasting seven or eight minutes is already a breakthrough."
Most of the netizens who discussed it felt that the most interesting space scenes would not occupy a large part of the film. But they would not have thought that the scenes on earth would actually be the least.
There are only a few minutes of footage, and the rest are basically scenes in space, which places high demands on the crew and actors.
But what netizens are most concerned about is the casting issue. So far, everyone only knows that Da Mi Mi is the first actor.
Judging from the photos posted on Da Mi Mi's Weibo, she should be playing a female astronaut, and her hair has been cut short and she has a new look.
But no rumors have spread about other actors, and they have done a good job of keeping it secret.
Actors in the industry are also wondering why Director Zhang did not hold an audition or announce the role. As far as they know, Da Mi Mi has been training for two months.
If other actors haven't been chosen yet, wouldn't it be too late? There can't be only one astronaut with a high power, right?
Deng Chao, who kept in touch with Zhang Hao and had always had a good relationship, couldn't help but be curious. He called Zhang Hao and asked: "Director Zhang, have you decided on the actors for "Gravity"? Do you think I can do it?"
Zhang Hao smiled and explained: "Oh, I'm sorry, the actors have been selected. Let's work together next time if we have a chance!"
Deng Chao was unwilling to give in and continued to ask: "Can you tell me which actor he is?"
"I can only tell you, only power." Zhang Hao thought carefully and did not reveal the news about Andy's participation and Wu Jing's guest appearance.
Deng Chao was dumbfounded: "There is only one actor named Mi Mi?"
"That's right, I only need her as an actor. If you can transform into a woman, I won't consider you." Zhang Hao made a joke.
"Well," Deng Chao shook his head and said, "Then forget it."
It turns out that there is really only one actor, Da Mi Mi, so Deng Chao feels much more at ease. He thought some big shot would get the role in this project without saying a word.